I am so sorry you have all waited so long for this chapter! Had manic busy goings-on at home but now I'm back and focused!

Zara awoke the next morning to a pair of big brown eyes peering over the top of the quilt at her. She smiled, ''Morning Lola, how did you sleep?'' She stretched her arms above her head and glanced over at Cade, her stomach twisting slightly in concern for him. She had hoped he would be awake by now.

The little girl smiled shyly, ''It was ok. Daddy snored a lot though.'' She wrinkled her little nose.

Zara looked back and laughed, ''Did he? I had better tell him off for you!''

Lola giggled, ''Daddy said to come and have breakfast. I made cakes too!''

Zara raised an eyebrow, ''Cakes?''

Lola nodded, ''Me and Daddy melted some chocolate and made cereal cakes. I mixed them all by myself!''

''Oh, I see. I bet they're yummy!'' Zara got up out of bed and pulled on a jumper over her tank top, ''Let's go and try one.''

She shot one last worried glance at Cade as Lola took her by the hand and led her out of the cabin.

The oaty smell of porridge made Zara's stomach let out a low grumble as she walked into the kitchen area. She headed straight to the pan to pour herself a bowl. Miles was sitting at the breakfast bar with his own bowl of steaming porridge, reading a large book. Zara sat opposite him and tilted her head, reading the front.

YACHTING 101: FOR BEGINNERS

She laughed, ''Where on Earth did you find that?!''

He smirked, ''In one of the cupboards of the crew cabins. I thought it might be useful.'' He shrugged.

''Don't worry too much, the boat is quite high tech, so it should tell us about any issues.'' She took a big mouthful of porridge and swallowed. ''As long as you know your bow from your stern and the difference between fenders and the anchor, I think we will do just fine.'' She winked at Lola. The little girl pointed and giggled at her dad, who tickled her in response.

''Hey Lola, what about one of those yummy cereal cakes you promised me?'' Zara asked.

The little girl ran over to the kitchen counter before holding her hands in front of Zara presenting her with the chocolate covered cereal cake, smiling proudly.

Zara took a bite, ''Mm' She mumbled her mouth full, ''These are amazing Lola, thank you. Make sure you save a few for Cade, he'll like that.''

''Oh yes. I made Cade a special one with sprinkles.'' Lola smiled.

''How is Cade this morning Zara? I checked on you both a few times in the night, I hope you don't mind.'' His face flushed.

''He's still unconscious...but he doesn't look as pale and his breathing seems a bit more peaceful. That's good though right?'' She asked quickly.

Miles put a hand on hers, ''Very good signs love, don't worry. Let's just focus on getting out of the harbour. The rest will do him good, so he can heal. It's really all up to him now.''

Zara shook away the tears which threatened to spill down her cheeks, ''He will make it, he has to.''

''Ok Miles, you ready to untie those ropes?'' Zara leant over the guardrail on the top deck peering down at Miles. He gave her a thumbs up from the jetty. He bent down and untied the thick ropes, rolling each one up as he went and throwing them onto the deck. Once the yacht was free of its restraints, he hopped back aboard securing the lines then joined Zara at the controls. She sat in one of the leather seats switching on the monitors. Lola sat in the seat next to her wearing the captain's hat, Miles grinned at her serious expression.

Zara flipped a switch causing a mechanical grinding sound, ''Right anchors up.'' She stated before turning to him, ''Ready?''

He nodded, ''Let's do this. I'll stand out on deck and try to guide you if you need it.''

Zara took a deep breath and turned the key in the ignition. The engine came to life, giving the feeling of a gentle vibration as it chugged away. Miles was surprised at how quiet the engines were. He walked back out onto the deck before nodding at Zara.

She checked the boat management system screen again for any errors, but all the lights were green. ''No more putting it off now, gotta do this.'' She muttered as she gripped the round, car like steering wheel with her left hand and gripped the handle of the throttle with her right, pushing it forward slowly. The boat began to cut forward through the water and edge away from the jetty. She turned the wheel slightly instructing the boat to veer to the right slightly. She navigated expertly around the abandoned boats which were scattered in the harbour, only touching one slightly which bumped harmlessly off the fenders. Pulling the boat back into a straight position she aimed for the open water, pushing the throttle to full.

Miles walked back in and whistled, ''Zara, that was amazing! I don't know many teenagers who can pilot a boat this big.''

Zara looked away, embarrassed, ''I spent a lot of time up here with the crew and my dad as a kid. I was always fascinated.''

Miles leant forward, looking through the window at the sea ahead of them as the boat picked up speed. ''How far are we going out?''

''Not far,'' Zara replied, keeping an eye on the navigation screen. ''Only a few miles offshore. There's a group of tall rocks a small way out which we can anchor the boat behind. No one will see the boat there but it's also near enough for us to do supply runs.''

''So, we will be hidden in plain sight, so-to-speak? Good idea Zara, you seem to know this close well.'' Miles replied.

Zara swallowed. ''My parents used to let my best friend Zoey come on holiday with us sometimes. We used to take the jet ski's out and do a race around those rocks. Good times.'' She smiled sadly.

Miles rested a hand on her shoulder, ''All the people we have lost, I know it's hard Zara. But you have done a great thing, helping Lola and me. We will be forever grateful.''

Zara blinked back tears, taking her hand from the controls and squeezing his hand back.

Ten minutes later Zara cut the engine. The rocks loomed in front of them, Zara was afraid to get any closer as one rogue wave would cause the boat to be smashed to bits. ''This will do.'' She said as she pressed the button to instruct the anchor to lower.

Miles nodded, ''I don't think we can be seen from the shore. Now, how about we organise the supplies a bit, we can plan how long everything will last until a trip to shore is needed. We will all feel a bit better if we settle in properly.''

Lola stuck her lip out at her father before turning to Zara, ''Can I go and see Cade instead?''

Zara laughed as he father scowled, ''Of course you can. Keep him company and look after him for me ok? Shout me if he wakes up.''

The little girl nodded before rushing from the room.

Miles smiled, ''She will have you wrapped around her little finger before long.''

''She already has!'' Zara replied chuckling.

  ''Zara she's going to love it, thank you.'' Miles stood and looked around the room.

Zara had decided to give Lola her own cabin, so she could have a bit of privacy as well as Miles. As Zara hadn't visited the yacht since she was a child, the third smaller cabin was still decorated in pastel pink. It had fairy lights, some of Zara's old dolls and plenty of books and games to occupy the little girl. Zara pulled Lola's giraffe teddy from her rucksack and placed it on the small bed amongst the pink heart pillows.

''Perfect. Well, she said you snore, so I had to help the poor girl out!'' Zara smiled and nudged Miles gently. ''Some of my old clothes are in the wardrobe too, which should fit Lola with any luck. There are some warm jumpers and boots and plenty of blankets. If we can get hold of some batteries, there's a portable DVD player as well so she can watch some of my old movies. It's going to be pretty boring being stuck on the boat so at least we can entertain her.''

''Let's have something really tasty for dinner tonight after all our hard work today,'' Miles suggested.

Zara nodded ''I'll get the generator going as well. A nice hot shower is in order too I think.''

They had spent the day tidying the boat and carefully portioning the food before stacking it neatly into the cupboards. Zara had calculated there was enough food to last 3-4 weeks before they would need to take the jet skis to shore for more. The water would probably last 8 weeks if they were careful, so they wouldn't need to move the yacht before then. The extra bottled water they had brought aboard would help it go further as well.

''Zara, Zara, Zara!'' Lola ran in, glancing excitedly around the room. ''Wowee! Is this for me? Daddy look fairy lights!''

Miles laughed, ''Yes sweetheart it's your new room.''

The little girl clapped her hands with glee. ''Oh!'' She spun and turned to Zara, ''Cade's awake!''

Hope you liked this chapter! As always please do comment or vote to say what you thought! Next update will be Monday <3